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The work from home version of the future office…

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The reality of the office of tomorrow (continuing my series) is that the office of tomorrow may not be in a building. The reality of offies has moved to huddle rooms and cubes. More and more companies are moving to the open or sometimes called hoteling concept. A hotel is where your device plugs into whatever cube you sit on that day. Some companies end up with reservation systems (literally a calendar connected to the room, office, or cube). One of the things that most organizations don’t do is the printer alignment. That would be an email sent to you after you reserve a spot and sit down, which would automatically map the nearest printer to your computer. Someday that will happen but not so far.

But…the reality of the office of tomorrow may sit in your home today.  Now in many cases people don’t have offices at home. The computer sits on the dining room table or in the corner of the living room. The office of tomorrow can be anywhere. You don’t have to be ina specific place. If you have a wonderful screen porch you can work there. Or on your back porch. You are free to work wherever you want to. Other than the occasional all0hands or the occasional customer meeting, for the most part, you work from home. It means you don’t have to compute to the office. Several studies have shown that work from home professionals tend to spend more time (9-10 hours per day) working.

They also have a much higher job satisfaction rating. But of course, there is a downside to the work from the homeworld. One of the value propositions of working for a company is going to the office and being able to talk to people. I had a job for many years where if I wasn’t onsite with the customer I was home. The kids were in school, and my wife was in school. There were many days when it was just me at home. It got lonely sometimes.

The other side of the organizational value of supporting work from home workers is that you have a smaller requirement overall for office space. That reduces the cost per employee and allows for other benefits for at-home workers. It should be noted that not all jobs should or can be done by work at home professionals. Some jobs still require the actual human being be there.

  • Question of

    Have you ever worked from home?

    • Yes
    • No
  • Question of

    Do you get lonely where there are no other people around?

    • Yes
    • No
  • Question of

    Do you like catching up with coworkers over coffee?

    • Yes
    • No

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Written by DocAndersen

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30 Comments

  3. Q: Have you ever worked from home?
    Yes (9 votes) – 82%
    No (2 votes) – 18%
    Q: Do you get lonely where there are no other people around?
    Yes (2 votes) – 18%
    No (9 votes) – 82%
    Q: Do you like catching up with coworkers over coffee?
    Yes (6 votes) – 67%
    No (3 votes) – 33%

  4. I don’t work in an office and if I am working I am so self absorbed nothing around me exists..unless I have to take notice…
    My husband tells me to slow down and that I am like a bull in the gate, but not quite

    1

  5. I work from home, three jobs with little interaction with people on two of the three, I use the phone and computer more. But being a 2/7 caregiver I am always on the run, tending to his needs.

    I prefer to work from home and I am making a new job with the homestead.

    1

  6. it is easier on the worker- less commute and they can have lunch at home. not that the employer cares, they just want to save on office space and other overhead

    1

  7. I am working from home, meeting with my clients when necessary at my present location and going to my office in India as and when required. I spend at least 20% time meeting with my clients wherever I am here or anywhere else. I spend at least 7-8 hours at my chair when working from home or in office.

    1

    • You are probably closer to my pattern! I spend more time with customers and that means I am in the office for less than I was 30 years ago.

      I once had a helpdesk job, you had to be in the office at the phone then.

  8. I have been working at home for the past few years (due to health problems). The office I had at home now has everything else that belongs to the office ?

    1

  10. Home working is going to become the preferred option for many office jobs, although there are clearly going to be circumstances where it is less appropriate. This is to be welcomed as a way of reducing pressures on the environment and transport systems – the fewer people who clog the roads and trains every morning, the better.

    1

  11. I liked it both ways, when I had a full time job at the office and working from home. I don’t get lonely. It gives me a lot of freedom to work at my pace and my time.

    1

  12. If I can get a full-time job doing it at home, I would be very glad. During the holidays, I usually stay indoors all by myself with occasional greetings with the neighbors.

    1